Dear Cathedral Family,August has given way to September, and life at the Cathedral is ramping up once more with our program offerings. Later this month, we will have Rally Day and begin our program year. Please allow me this moment to mention our Christian formation, Fun Club, EYC activities. Rally Day will be a time for our children and youth to meet their Sunday School teachers and for our EYC to talk about the upcoming year.I give thanks to God that we have some wonderful Christian Formation offerings for our children and youth and we have some wonderful teachers. This year, we will continue to use lectionary-based Christian formation materials for two of our Sunday School classes; Fun Club and Senior High. We are bringing back Godly Play for our Elementary Class (K-2). We will continue to offer Weaving God's Promises for our Middle School class. So from Kindergarten through High School, we have learning opportunities. For a more detailed listing of our learning opportunities, please turn to page 4 of this newsletter.

It is my hope that Christian Formation and children and youth activities are not just "one more thing to do" for families. As I have said before, our society places a lot of demands on us and it is not my goal to place another "burden" of our parishioners. Indeed, in a recent sermon, Dean Gibson said that she wanted our families to enjoy Sabbath time, so families could enjoy time together, relax, and get ready for the coming week. That is why we offer Fun Club and EYC activities mainly right after church. But, it is my hope that parents and grandparents will support our efforts and allow their children and youth to explore their faith and have some fun along the way.

My hope is that our offerings are avenues for spiritual growth for our younger parishioners. Our children and youth have an active role in our parish. They enjoy Sunday school, being acolytes, and participating in the Fun Club and EYC groups. Our children and youth have worked hard in the area of outreach with last year's Pancake Breakfast to benefit the Fuse Project and Brunch to benefit the Kappa League's college entrance exam preparation. This year, our youth will be doing another outreach project, in conjunction with the Confirmation Class, to help the Kappa League. We are excited to continue this partnership in an effort to raise money for a scholarship program for the Kappa League.

For our Fun Club, we want our 3-5 graders to have the experience of doing group activities and learn more about their faith. For our EYC, we want to cultivate a safe and joyful environment where our youth can explore their faith and build friendships. This year, our goal for EYC is do fun and formative events with our own group, participate with other local EYC groups, and engage with youth from the whole diocese.Parents and Grandparents, I encourage you all to look at our formation opportunities and bring your children and youth on Sundays. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If anyone is interested in helping with our youth or assist as a substitute teacher, I would love to hear from you as well.